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Glorious Gumption: Hannah

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You don’t hear the word gumption used very often. I like the sound of it. It makes me think of courage. It involves wisdom, discernment, spirit, ability, and judgment, among other things. It also requires good old-fashioned get-up-and go! When gumption is utilized in a godly way, I call it glorious. Join me this week as we look as some women who displayed glorious gumption in their lives and understand how we can do something similar!

 

Hannah

 

And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut. 

1 Samuel 1:11 NLT

Wednesday_Day_Three_Pic-HandsHannah desperately wanted to be a mother, but she had no children for many years. She’d been picked on and looked down on all this time by another wife who had children (Peninnah). Hannah became sad and depressed over her infertility and cried often because of it. Although her husband loved her more than his other wife, and brought her extra portions of food, he didn’t understand her anguish. We read his words in 1 Samuel 1:8, “…Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” (1 Samuel 1:1-10).  He might ‘ve meant well but he definitely didn’t get it. He sounded like his focus was really on himself!

Read today’s Dose verse. Hannah looked to God for control of her situation. She conceded her helplessness and confessed her need of God’s power to end her anguish. She faithfully laid her infertility before God and made a conscience commitment to God to relinquish to His service the son He might bless her with. She even planned a sign (his hair would not be cut) to show the Lord her sincerity. Hannah wasn’t making some shallow faithless wish or some spontaneous bargain with God, as we do sometimes. God doesn’t bargain with us.

Can you even imagine how hard it would be to have gone all those years barren and then upon being blessed with a child, surrendering him back to the Lord? Sacrifice and release of control is not my strong suit, nor that of many people I know. Our tendency is to hold on tightly to virtually everything we have.  Hannah showed a tremendous amount of sacrifice, commitment, and faith. This was Hannah’s glorious gumption! God granted her plea and she was faithful to loyally honor her commitment.

Sometimes the realization of our utter lack of control is just what is needed to turn us to the only One truly in control: God. God calls us to hold the earthly things He gives us loosely because He is the giver and taker of them all, including our children. When we understand and accept that without God’s intervention, we’re powerless to extinguish our anguish, sufferings, and unmet needs, we can learn to surrender control and fully rely on God.

Are you hanging onto control today? Why don’t you surrender your control for the Lord’s?

Glorious gumption through surrendering control,

Rita

[Read 1 Samuel Chaps 1 & 2 for more of this story]

Glorious Gumption: Deborah

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You don’t hear the word gumption used very often. I like the sound of it. It makes me think of courage. It involves wisdom, discernment, spirit, ability, and judgment, among other things. It also requires good old-fashioned get-up-and go! When gumption is utilized in a godly way, I call it glorious. Join me this week as we look as some women who displayed glorious gumption in their lives and understand how we can do something similar!

 

Deborah

Barak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me.”

“Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.  

Judges 4:8-9, NLT

Tuesday_Day_Two_Pic-Trust_God_SignWhen was the last time God told you to do something and you got someone else to do it for you? As believers, the Holy Spirit prompts us to obey the Lord, but we sometimes ignore His commands. It doesn’t have to be anything over the top, either. It could be something as simple as a prompting to go to someone and share your story of what the Lord has done in your life.  “Oh, that’s too hard, Lord. I would but I’m too nervous to go by myself.” We ignore the prompting.

Other times, we may half obey Him by modifying his command. We grab our best godly girlfriend and tell her something like, “Hey girl, I know how you love to share your testimony with others. Come see so-and-so with me. God’s got something for us to tell her.” We’ve just put our trust in someone else ahead of putting it in God. Is half obedience really obedience at all?

It’s not like God’s going to crumble and say His plan is ruined because we disobeyed Him. When we fail to obey God’s commands, He still accomplishes His plan, often with someone else who’s willing to obey. They get a blessing and we miss out. God still gets His glory.

This was the case for the people in today’s Dose verses. Read them.  God told the prophetess Deborah to pass on His command to Barak to call out warriors and go to an appointed place for war.  God even gave her instructions for Barak explaining what He (God) was going to do to give Barak the victory over the enemy (Judges 4:4-7). Barak chose to let Deborah lead, over God.

Deborah, however, rose to the challenge and was utilized to take part in the military campaign to overthrow the Canaanite tormentors. She put her faith squarely in the hands of God and acted without hesitation. Her trust was in God to protect and direct her. What glorious gumption this took!

God used Deborah to accomplish His task because of her wealth of faith and Barak’s lack of faith.

Sometimes we trust in people over God. We have the possibility of leading others to the Lord with our testimonies of how God is working in our lives, but when we don’t show the faith and courage to lead, God may decide not to use us.

Are you trusting in people over the Lord today?

Glorious gumption through trust in God,

Rita

[Read Judges 4 & 5 for more of this story]

Glorious Gumption: Esther

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You don’t hear the word gumption used very often. I like the sound of it. It makes me think of courage. It involves wisdom, discernment, spirit, ability, and judgment, among other things. It also requires good old-fashioned get-up-and go! When gumption is utilized in a godly way, I call it glorious. Join me this week as we look at some women who displayed glorious gumption in their lives and understand how we can do something similar!

 

Esther

“…though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”  

Esther 4:16, NLT

Monday_Day_One_Pic-Fear-Courage_SignHave you been reluctant to ask for help from someone in authority for fear something awful would happen to you?  For example, in a work situation, you may need to bring a matter to the boss’s attention. He may be the only one who can take the required action. Yet you fear he won’t listen to you, or worse, not believe you. You may ask, “What’s going to happen to me if I approach him?”  Perhaps the better question is what’s going to happen to others if I don’t?

Queen Esther experienced a similar, even more serious, predicament. She needed help from the king but had to get past the king’s evil top official, Haman. Haman had plotted to get rid of the Jewish people, Esther’s people, through directly targeting her uncle, Mordecai. Mordecai told her she needed to speak to the king on behalf of her people and herself (Esther 4:5-15).

Initially, Esther didn’t want to face the reality of Haman’s order to kill the Jews. She was preoccupied with her own fear that she could be killed for coming before the king without being invited. This very real fear prevented her from considering the long range results should she refuse to do the right thing in a timely manner.

Read today’s Dose verse. Esther eventually agreed to assist her people by going before King Xerxes, despite the uncertainty of whether she’d be welcomed or harmed. This action took great courage, glorious gumption! (Esther 5: 1-3)

Esther also prayed, fasted, and asked her people do the same (Esther 4: 15-17). She displayed godly wisdom in seeking God first and selecting the right time and atmosphere to present her requests to the king (after a couple of feasts, where he’d be relaxed and more receptive to a favorable answer. See Esther 5:4-8 and chapter 7.)

Sometimes the only thing blocking us from receiving the help we so desperately need is our own fear. When we trust God to move us through our fear to appropriate action we can act with glorious gumption, even against the threat of death, as Esther did!

Dear one, are you failing to act today due to your fear? Ask God for help and surround yourself with godly believers to pray with you.

Glorious gumption over fear,

Rita

[Read all of Esther for more of this story]